Nebesa
by AthenaSeiki
Summary: AU: The never-ending battles, the gore and violence that left the earth bathed in blood, the tortured screams of those who were slain - or even worse - dragged off to their kingdom of shadows by the monsters, the feral, demonic laughter of their king...it seems that the nightmare, this centuries old war between light and darkness waged in the sacred land, will never end...
1. Prologue

WARNING: This fic may eventually contain gore, violence and rather disturbing details.

Disclaimer: Beyblade and all its characters belong to Takao Aoki. I only own the plotline and OCs.

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Prologue:

Nebesa.

That was the name of the world little Vanya was born in. The daughter of a farmer residing in Legkiy, the Kingdom of Light. Vanya's grandmother, now approaching a hundred years of age; the average lifespan of the population of Nebesa; often told her stories that _her_ great-grandmother used to tell her, of the tranquil, lush natural beauty of the land – how their benevolent line of rulers led them with grace and wisdom, how the people prospered and harmony reigned. Vanya listened to the stories of how her ancestor used to run and play freely through the rolling meadows filled with flowers with other children of the village and cool their feet in the cold, crystal clear stream, which apparently, ran its course not too far from their family property.

Vanya knew the location Grandmother was referring to – the dried up bed of ash and clay, just beyond the barbed wire fence that had been set up by the villagers in a desperate attempt to secure themselves. The lush meadows in which her ancestor had once played in had been reduced to a barren wasteland, littered with the corpses of soldiers and commoners alike. Wounded warriors stumbled through what once used to be the marketplace, and had now been converted into a medical camp, the cries of hawkers being replaced by screams of pain and anguish.

The people endured poverty and starvation, living in abject misery and poor hygienic conditions, and above all, living in fear of the monsters that may swoop down upon them at any moment and take their lives as well as the lives of their loved ones.

She had overheard her father saying that the situation was the same in all the townships and villages in the kingdom. The situation had been the same for the past four centuries.

The Kingdom of Legkiy, you see, has been at war with the Kingdom of Temnota, the empire of darkness, for nearly four hundred years. And by war, she did not mean a cold war – refusal to co-operate, stand-offs, etc. She meant full-blown _battle,_ day in and day out, people dying by the hundreds. It was astounding that Legkiy had any population left to speak of, considering that for a war lasting for close to four centuries, a year's peace was considered a miracle.

The battle had extended through generations of rulers on both sides, and still seemed nowhere close to ceasing. The emperors of Temnota always attacked brutally, sending out thousands of terrifying monstrous beasts that swooped down from the skies and devoured Legkiy's soldiers and innocent citizens alike, often snatching and carrying away the less fortunate to some hellish inferno in Temnota, where it was rumoured they were tortured for the amusement of the king to a slow and extremely painful death.

Vanya, though merely twelve years of age, was no stranger to bloodshed and loss. No one would be if they woke up to see the horribly mangled and disfigured body of their best friend lying in the middle of the street. Her family tried to protect her from these horrifying sights, all the families tried to protect their children, but what was the point? The grim reality of the situation could not – _would_ not - escape from them, simply because they were young.

Vanya saw many aspects of the war, and heard even more from the village elders (without their knowledge, of course).

She found out that Legkiy, the more peaceful kingdom, was losing the war. Though Legkiy had started out as the more powerful kingdom, over the past hundred years, Temnota had gained the upperhand as their legion of demons which were sent to slaughter the population and rampage upon the kingdom – something the noble rulers of their empire would never stoop to - began having more success in their task due to the depleting military personnel, thus eroding the base of the Light Kingdom's power and drastically reducing both human and natural resources over the years. This was accompanied by the emergence of the ruler who was widely recognised as the most ruthless and tactically brilliant emperor of the Temnota empire, who, through perfectly planned surprise attacks, infiltrations and raids, had severely crippled the forces of Legkiy.

King Petrov, the current ruler of Legkiy, was supposedly becoming desperate and rumour was that he was trying to move for a treaty with Temnota, since he feared that if the war continued any longer, the entire kingdom would be razed to the ground. The elders are not sure if Temnota will accept….particularly after the emergence of the Kingdom of Darkness' savage new king.

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I think you people will like the next chapter :3

Thank you for reading. Please remember to review and share your opinion.


	2. Initiation

Disclaimer: Beyblade and all its characters belong to Takao Aoki. I own only the plotline and OCs.

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Chapter 1: Initiation

 _3 years ago_

 _In an underground shrine in the depths of Temnota….._

 _Dark, menacing chants rose from the Shrine of Strakh - the temple of fear. The dim, purple flames of the torches -which cast ominous shadows over the grossly twisted and inhuman faces of their bearers, the reflection of the flames dancing in their tar-black sclera - provided the only illumination in the winding underground passages that led to the main altar._

 _In the altar, the demons stood in a loose circle around the raised dias, the chanting rising to a crescendo, before fading out, only for the pattern to repeat itself. As the chants rose and fell, so did the waves of dark magic washing over the entire shrine, accompanied by the howls of tortured souls trapped in the temple, victims of the monstrous denizens of the empire who drew their last, painful breaths there. Power and fear superseded everything else over here, and this was the reason - to wield ultimate power and instil fear in the hearts of their subjects and enemies alike – that the kings of Temnota were initiated in this shrine._

 _The chanting once again rose to a crescendo, this time maintaining itself. The ten-foot high, blazing purple flames forming a barrier to the dias shot up to twice their height, tongues of searing hot fire violently lashing out and threatening to incinerate anything and anyone that approached them. The demons, however, seemed more fearful of the presence that now approached the altar than the vicious flames, stepping away respectfully to clear a path to the dias for the new Emperor of Darkness._

 _He strode towards the dias, a regal confidence and superiority showing in his posture and body language, eyes flashing the colour of freshly-spilled blood as he kept his gaze locked on the flames before him. He stopped before the steps leading to the dias - above which the fire towered – and was met by the head priest, a towering, beast-like creature._

 _The new Emperor, like his predecessors before him, was in stark contrast physical contrast to the primal, animalistic and monstrous visages of his subordinates. The royal family of Temnota, being the most superior race of demons, had the ability to cast powerful dark spells, were blessed with greater intelligence than most of the lesser tribes, and were also physically stronger, all the while having an anatomy and physiology similar to the people of Legkiy rather than their fellow demon tribes._

" _Chosen heir to the throne of the mighty Kingdom of Darkness," said the priest in a bass, reverberating monotone. "In the presence of the divine spirits of Thanatos and Deimos, do you accept your responsibility to lead this sacred empire to the pinnacle of glory and power and uphold its name as feared and revered across the holy world of Nebesa?"_

" _I accept," His deep voice, though not raised, was heard clearly even over the loud chants._

 _The priest nodded, and raised an intricately carved bronze chalice containing a cobalt blue liquid. He dipped his index and middle fingers in the liquid and drew four triangular stripes on the heir's face, two on each cheek."Then proceed through the flames."_

 _He turned his head slowly, eyes again fixing almost reverently on the blazing fire. Some of the demons shifted uneasily as he slowly began to ascend the steps. The fire was a test to determine whether one was worthy or not to rule over the kingdom of Temnota. Although the young heir showed tremendous potential, and the Supreme Lord, their mightiest ruler to date, had been confident of his abilities…..failing the test had severe consequences…_

 _The heir ascended the steps, his flawless, pale skin giving him a ghastly appearance. Beads of perspiration began forming and rolling off his bare torso as he approached the incredibly hot flames, his well-defined muscles visibly taut with anticipation._

 _He stopped right in front of the flames for the merest fraction of a second, before stepping into them._

 _The congregated demons held their breath as the flames roared, completely engulfing him, before turning blood-red and swirling inwards like a fiery whirlpool, melting into his body. He dropped to his knees, body thrumming with dark, ancient power. The power wielded only by the Emperors of Darkness. He was on his feet almost immediately, eyes hidden by silvery-grey bangs. A slow, sadistic smirk slowly crossed his face_. Finally _._

 _The priest moved to the bottom of the stairs, facing him, and knelt before the dias. All the demons followed suit, kneeling reverently._

" _Hail the new Emperor of Darkness, Hiwatari Kai!"_


	3. State of Affairs

Disclaimer: Beyblade and all its characters belong to Takao Aoki. I only own the plotline and OCs.

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Chapter 2: State of Affairs

"Your Highness," The privy counsellor pushed open the massive polished rowewood double doors of the empty state room, with its high, vaulted ceiling, marbled flooring, stained glass murals and magnificent floor to ceiling French windows that flooded the room with light - typical to the architectural style followed in the Palace of Light - to find his King standing alone in the viewing gallery, his back to him.

"Your Highness," he approached and bowed. The king turned and smiled tiredly at his trusted counsellor.

"My apologies, Counsellor Irniv," said King Petrov. "I was….preoccupied with my thoughts."

Irniv nodded in understanding, and could not help but feel concerned looking at the deep lines of worry that had etched themselves into his features and the fatigue that his voice failed to conceal. The war had taken a visible toll on the King's well-being.

"How do the soldiers on the western front hold up?" the King questioned.

"They are…...fighting valiantly, sire," he replied. "But with our forces so depleted, I fear it is only a matter of a few more weeks before they are completely overrun." The King's face darkened with anxiety. They _had_ to somehow negotiate for a treaty. He was well aware that if they gave in to Temnota, the Darkness Kingdom would gain influence over the whole of Nebesa. However, at the moment, a tactical surrender was the only viable option they had left. So many lives had already been lost…..if the war continued for much longer, there would be absolutely nothing left of Legkiy. He had tried his level-best to combat them. But in the end, he had failed… It was now up to him to protect the lives of his remaining subjects.

"Father!" The doors were flung open once again and Legkiy's twenty-four year old Prince Dmitri strode up to them, completely geared for battle in his silver armour, his sheathed sword in hand and helm tucked under his arm. The look on his handsome, chiselled face was grim, yet at the same time his grey eyes sparkled with anticipation, the way they always did when he received a challenge.

"Dmitri! You are going to battle!?" asked the King, startled. "For Nebesa's sake, boy! You have only just returned from the eastern front patrol but a few hours ago!"

"Forgive me, Father, but I have just received word that the southern stronghold is under attack!"

The King and Counsellor Irniv exchanged alarmed looks.

"When did you hear of this?" demanded the King.

"Mere minutes ago – a messenger had just arrived to inform of the situation and request for reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" asked Irniv. "What is the strength of the invading force, my prince? Surely they have not sent such a large number as to overwhelm the forces stationed at the stronghold!"

"There are but a hundred of them," replied the prince, causing both of them to raise their eyebrows at the call for reinforcements to handle such a small force. "However," he continued. "Our forces are at a great disadvantage and I intend to go and lead them myself," His mouth twisted in a lopsided smile, and the challenging look in his eye intensified, like that of a top predatory beast about to fight a worthy opponent for dominance. "…...for they are being led by the Emperor of Temnota himself."

...

King Petrov cursed the Stars as he rode alongside his son, leading a large battalion to the southernmost reaches of the kingdom. Not only was the western defence nearly shattered, but now the southern stronghold was being attacked by a force being led by that demonic boy himself!

He had seen the Darkness Empire's previous ruler, Lord Voltaire – who was at the reigns even during King Petrov's father's time and who had, through his cunning ploys and strategies, singlehandedly turned the tide in favour of Temnota - a few times at failed negotiation conferences, and once from across the battlefield. The man was ruthless, cruel and calculating, and planned crippling strikes to Legkiy's economy and resources, all the while strengthening Temnota politically and economically as well. However, even though a brilliant administrator and strategist, he was not much of a warrior, and led out the army only on one or two occasions early on in his reign, usually preferring letting loose his mindless minions to wreak havoc on the Light Kingdom instead of wasting resources on frequent full-fledged head-on military assaults.

King Petrov had hoped that, after Voltaire's sudden demise, apparently due to illness, they may be able to subdue the Darkness Kingdom, before the new Emperor had a chance to establish himself. His hopes were reinforced when they found out from their sources that Voltaire's chosen heir was not his son, but his _grandson,_ a boy no older than King Petrov's own son. It was extremely rare that the rulers of powerful kingdoms such as Legkiy and Temnota were handed over the kingship before their late twenties, so the idea of a twenty-one year old being given the powerful position of the Emperor of Temnota was shocking to most.

However, all hopes of winning the war were crushed upon seeing the seamless efficiency with which the young Emperor took over at the helm, and the brutality with which he led continuous assaults upon the Light Kingdom. Though to common people it may seem like a brute show of strength, the King and his ministers had immediately identified the method behind the seeming madness – strike hard and fast while the Light Kingdom is at its most vulnerable, before it has a chance to recover from the economic instability. King Petrov couldn't help but realise the boy _had_ inherited his grandfather's brains. Within three years of his emergence, Legkiy had seen more damage to lives and property than it had seen in its worst three decades of war. The boy was savage; he enjoyed making sudden appearances time and again along with a few of his elite soldiers at the site of an ongoing battle, crushing the Light forces and obliterating anything in his path. King Petrov had yet to see the boy in person, but his son had already fought hand-to-hand with him twice, and seemed to have developed some sort of rivalry with him; Dmitri seemed hell-bent on defeating him in person.

He had also admitted - with grudging respect - that the boy was a good fighter, both in terms of hand-to-hand combat and spellcasting, which, coming from the prince - who was regarded as one of the finest warriors the Light Kingdom had ever seen - meant that the young Emperor was also extraordinarily talented and powerful.

Dmitri had also mentioned that the boy was…unnerving, when he _really_ got involved in a battle. When he had asked him to elaborate, he just shuddered and said that when it came to that stage, he was much worse than those fiendish, bloodthirsty beasts he commanded. The few lucky survivors of the battles he was involved in seemed terrified of the mere mention of him, and called him "Z'ver" or"Beast".

It was safe to conclude, that the young Emperor of Temnota was a frightening adversary.

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Please remember to review, dear readers, and tell me how you're finding the story so far. :)

P.S Nebesa, Temnota, Legkiy, Z'ver, are all actual words. You can try to figure out which language they come from and what they mean! Any guesses?

-AthenaSeiki


	4. Arrival of the Emperor

Disclaimer: Beyblade and all its characters belong to Takao Aoki. I only own the plotline and OCs.

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Chapter 3: Arrival of the Emperor

Dmitri surveyed the battlefield. The watchtowers were in smoking ruins; the barricading walls of the stronghold reduced to dust. Their warriors stationed there were desperately trying to hold off the invading demon battalion, which was letting out a mixed cacophony of shrieks, bellows, howls and wild raucous laughter, which made the prince feel sick to his stomach. Leaning forward on his steed from his vantage point on top of a hillock, he scanned the warring forces for his target as a strong gust of wind whipped at his jet-black hair.

 _Found you._ A grim smile came to his face as he spotted a glint of messy two-toned silvery-grey and black hair in the middle of the demonic force.

"Dmitri!" His father rode up to him, followed by their legion. "Do not be so foolhardy as to gallop onward in that manner ahead of the troops! I thought you had more sense than that!"

Dmitri gave him a slightly petulant look. "I can take care of myself, Father."

The King gave him a harsh look, but said no more. Now was not the time to argue.

"So, tell me," said the King. "Where is the much fabled young Emperor Hiwatari?"

Dmitri pointed. "The one with the mop of grey and black hair."

King Petrov soon located him, and he frowned deeply at the sight before him. "He is performing a spell…."

Dmitri looked down and noticed that his father was right. He was raising his arms slowly, almost lazily, above his head. He then brought them down with the motion of one conducting an orchestra and immediately high walls of flames rolled out from all around him, passing right through the demons, who were left unscathed, and burning through the ranks of the Legkiy forces. Screams of pain carried all the way up to them as their soldiers were burnt by the vicious flames.

"We must stop them!" cried Dmitri.

"Onward!" called King Petrov, and the legion let out a battle cry as they followed the King and the Prince as they charged down the hillock at full speed, crashing into the invaders before they had time to react.

…..

The Prince plunged straight into the enemy force, hacking and slashing down any monster that was foolish enough to get in his way. _Today. Today I_ will _have your head, you arrogant bastard._

He was soon at the heart of the demon battalion, and it was then that something caused his horse to buck wildly, nearly dropping him to the ground.

"How about you get off your mount and fight me like a man, _Prince_ Dmitri?" A lazy drawl floated to the Prince's ears and he looked down to see none other than the Emperor of Temnota, Kai Hiwatari, standing brazenly right in front of him, swinging his sword lazily as he sneered up at him.

The Prince returned his sneer. "It would be my pleasure, _Emperor_ Hiwatari," he said, venom dripping from his voice as he swung his leg over his steed's broad back and dropped to the ground, unsheathing his own sword as he did so.

He gave his horse's flank a gentle smack, indicating for the beast to go, which it did.

The two then locked eyes, grey to purple, and began circling like a pair of wolves, ready to pounce and tear into each other at any minute. The Prince registered that none of the other demons interfered. In fact, they had not involved themselves in the previous two occasions he had fought Hiwatari one-on-one either. He wondered vaguely if it was their Emperor's orders, not to interfere with his personal battles.

"You know, I am given such a rude welcome every time I visit your kingdom," His full attention snapped back to his opponent, who was smirking at him. "Your soldiers never let me through the gates. I wonder why…"

"I can only imagine," replied the Prince dryly.

"No, really. Even when I tell them I mean no harm, and only wish to take a stroll around the kingdom to view the much acclaimed natural beauty of Legkiy," he said, his mouth twisting in amusement as he saw that the comment seemed to strike a nerve.

"If your fiends had left anything of it, that is!" said the Prince, his voice rising slightly to match the rise of his temper.

The Emperor noticed Prince Dmitri's knuckles turn white as his grip tightened on the hilt of his sword and also the slight bending of his knees as he got ready to strike. His smirk grew wider. He generally preferred not wasting energy in speaking unnecessarily, but sometimes it _did_ have its benefits. Like right now, his banter was irking the Prince of Legkiy, and he had noticed during their previous encounter that the Prince actually performed _better_ when he was riled up. He was feeling bored - he could use a decent challenge right now.

...

Dmitri got ready to attack. He noticed that Hiwatari was also doing the same, noting the marginal widening of his stance and the subtle shift of his long black cloak as his shoulders tensed, pushing back the fabric slightly to reveal a glimpse of the carved black armour he wore underneath.

"You say there is no beauty left in your kingdom," His adversary spoke again, and a malicious, feral look came into his eyes as his pupils constricted sharply. "But I hear that your sister is very beautiful..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Prince sprang at him, aiming his blade directly at his neck. In a flash, the young ruler of Temnota sidestepped, using his own blade to deflect the strike. The Prince pivoted, but his slash to his opponent's midriff was parried, and the young emperor swept out a foot to knock his legs out from under him. Dmitri stumbled, but managed to remain on his feet, barely blocking the strike to his stomach. The Emperor took advantage of his disbalance and kicked him in the chest, this time throwing him backwards a few feet onto the ground.

"Come on, _Prince_ Dmitri," he sneered, slowly approaching the heir to the throne of Legkiy as he got to his feet. "Surely you can do better than that?"

Prince Dmitri growled. _He would dare to mock our kingdom, talk about my sister_ and _taunt me!?_

 _"_ Oh, I can do _much_ better than that," he spat, raising his sword and charging at Hiwatari. He feigned a strike to his heart, before slashing upward at his face. He anticipated it, but not quick enough to avoid the tip of the blade, which grazed his cheek. He snarled and pushed the Prince backward, who allowed himself a satisfied smirk at his opponent's obvious displeasure as he wiped up the few drops of blood trickling from the cut with the back of his hand, which smudged those peculiar blue shark-fins painted on his face, and turned to him, eyes flashing red with anger. He had had a very similar reaction the first time they had encountered each other and Dmitri had managed to injure him.

"What's the matter?" taunted the Prince. "I was under the impression that you _wanted_ a good fight."

Again, similar to last time, he closed his eyes and smiled slightly. "Of course." he said simply, before opening his eyes and rushing at him.

However, before their swords could connect, an explosion drew the attention of both young men, as well as that of the rest of the combatants on the battlefield, to the distance towards the west.

Dmitri watched in horror as a huge number of demons - _thousands_ of them - rose into the sky, letting out wild, victorious cries and howls. Half of them then began flying towards the ongoing battle, while the other half flew over the western fortifying ramparts...right towards the main citadel and the palace.

"Well, well," He turned to look at the Emperor of the Darkness Kingdom, who was watching the demons flying over the ramparts with a nasty glint of amusement in his eyes. "It looks like your Kingdom's defences have fallen."

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To be continued...

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